The present invention relates to the field of photocopying and, more specifically, to an electronic imaging copier for making enhanced photographic prints from original reflective print and transparency (e.g. slide and/or negative) types of photographs.
Electronic imaging systems for recording still images on photosensitive film are well known in the art.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,130,834 discloses a system comprising a high resolution video camera for scanning an optical image of an object and converting the optical image into corresponding electronic image signals; a monitor for displaying the image provided from the camera; a volatile storage buffer, memory or storage tube for temporarily storing the image signals; a tape recorder for recording the image signals provided from the memory; and a printing monitor or CRT responsive to the stored image signals for providing an optical image of the object which is used to expose a photosensitive sheet and photographically record the image thereon. Color images are printed or recorded by exposing color film, in sequence, to black and white CRT images, representative of the red, green and blue components of the image, through corresponding red, green and blue filters. It is also suggested that the stored image may be enhanced electronically with regard to saturation, brightness, image inversion and for limiting the reproduction to a selected part of the image.
Other systems, sometimes referred to as electronic imaging film recorders, do not include integral devices for providing electronic image signals, such as video camera or CCD line scanner, but rather are adapted to receive image signals from various sources connected thereto such as a computer, video camera, or video tape recorder.
Such film recorders may typically include signal processing systems for enhancing the image signals to improve image quality and/or more closely match the projected image to the spectral sensitivity characteristics of the photosensitive material on which the image is to be recorded. Enhancement may include adjustment of the brightness and contrast range; adjustment of color saturation and balance; image inversion (reverse video); adding text or graphic information to the picture; selective cropping; and image magnification. For representative examples of these types of film recorder, reference may be had to U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,433,345; 4,488,244 and 4,536,848.
The present invention is directed to an electronic imaging copier that is specifically configured for making photographic prints from original reflection prints, slides or negatives.
The most common method of having such prints made is to bring the original photograph to a photographic dealer or the photographic department of a store which arranges to ship them off to a processing laboratory for duplication. To obviate the inconvenience of waiting for the results and returning to the store for pickup, it would be highly desirable to have a self-contained copier apparatus for in-store service which quickly produces high quality copies while the customer waits.
Unlike the prior art electronic imaging system identified above, such a copier should be specifically tailored to producing a copy from an original photograph; be adept at producing prints from both reflection prints and transparencies; be highly automated and easy to use so that it may be operated by a store employee without formal training in photography and film processing; provide a preview display of the image to be recorded for observing composition, focus, etc.; employ electronic image enhancing techniques for improving image quality and matching the spectral charactertistics of the original photograph to those of the copy film; and be of relatively low cost and complexity by, for example, minimizing the amount of memory needed to store image signals for enhancement and printing purposes.
One technique for minimizing the amount of memory required to effect image enhancement is to first make a low resolution scan of the object and store the low resolution signals in a relatively small buffer and then make a higher resolution scan of the object and combine the high resolution with the low resolution signals from memory to effect image enhancement. Examples of this technique are disclosed in commonly assigned copending applications U.S. Ser. No. 681,788 filed on Dec. 14, 1984 by Lawrence E. Alston for "Electronic Image Scanner and Copier System with Color Matrix Image Enhancement" and U.S. Ser. No. 682,894 filed on Dec. 18, 1984 by Lawrence E. Alston et al. for "Image Sensing and Processing Apparatus and Method".
For an example of an electronic imaging apparatus wherein low resolution image signals are utilized to provide a black and white display of an image captured by an electronic scanning device, reference may be had to commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,541,010.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic imaging copier for making photographic copies from original reflection print and transparency type photographs.
Another object is to provide such a copier that is easy to use and may be operated to produce high quality results by persons not having formal training in photography.
Yet another object is to provide such a copier that is relatively economical to produce.
Another object is to provide such a copier that provides electronic image enhancement, a preview display of the image to be recorded on film, and uses a minimum amount of memory to provide these two functions.
Other objects of the invention will, in part, be obvious and will, in part, appear hereinafter.